Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, the official hotel of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), has announced the winner of its second annual Crowne Plaza Achievement Award - world-class LPGA Tour professional Annika Sorenstam.

The Crowne Plaza Achievement Award is an international award presented annually to the six LPGA Tour players who earn the most points in eight selected LPGA Tour events. Sorenstam, who scored the grand prize, earned 348 points on her road to victory, finishing 78 points ahead of second place Karrie Webb and 89 points ahead of Se Ri Pak. Webb won the inaugural award in 2000.

Sorenstam earned 100 points for her victory at the Mizuno Classic, 100 points for her wins at the Nabisco Championship and the Bank of Montreal Canadian Women`s Open, 40 points at the McDonald`s LPGA Championship Presented by AIG and eight points at the U.S. Women`s Open. The remaining tournaments were the Evian Masters and the Weetabix Women`s British Open, as well as the Sports Today Open in Jeju Island, Korea, which was cancelled following the events of September 11.

“We’re proud to support the LPGA by honoring Annika with our second annual Crowne Plaza Achievement Award,” said Robert G. Mayer, vice president, Marketing, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, The Americas. “Through our sponsorship of the LPGA and affiliations with several women`s organizations, Crowne Plaza is committed to advancing women in their professional and personal lives.”

As part of the Crowne Plaza Achievement Award, a $15,000 check will be presented to the Count-Me-In for Women’s Economic Independence in Sorenstam’s honor. Count-Me-In is a national non-profit organization that raises money to provide micro loans to females who otherwise would not be able to obtain the financing to run their own businesses. A lending and learning organization, Count-Me-In is dedicated to strengthening women’s position in the economy.

“As a female business traveler, I sincerely appreciate Crowne Plaza`s support of women`s organizations including the LGPA and Count-Me-In,” said Sorenstam. “I am delighted the Count-Me-In contribution will give female entrepreneurs the opportunity to fulfill their career goals.”

Sorenstam received her award during the LPGA’s annual awards luncheon. She had an incredible season, winning four consecutive events early in the season, including the Standard Register PING, where she posted a new 18-hole scoring record of 59 (-13) during the second round. As the winner of the Crowne Plaza Achievement Award, she receives a year`s worth of complimentary hotel nights at any of the 3,260 Six Continents Hotels worldwide, which includes stays at the Crowne Plaza, Inter-Continental, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites brands.

Players finishing in the top 20 at the selected tournaments earned points ranging from 100 points for a first-place finish to two points for a 20th-place finish. Webb, finishing in second place with 270 points, will receive 100 free nights and Pak, in third place, will receive 50 free nights. Maria Hjorth finished in fourth place with 155.20 points, Rachel Teske finished fifth with 152.20 and Mi Hyun Kim finished sixth with 145 points. Each will receive 14 complimentary nights.

In addition to being the hotel sponsor of the LPGA and sponsoring the Crowne Plaza Achievement Award, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts provides travel benefits to members of the LPGA and is a sponsor of LPGA Tour Professional Liselotte Neumann. To further its outreach to women, Crowne Plaza has a nine-member female Travel Advisory Council who provide insight and guidance on women`s initiatives and programs. The Crowne Plaza brand also supports the Business Women`s Network (BWN) and the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE).

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